On June 30, 1975, less than one week after her divorce from Sonny Bono became final, Cher — America’s most famous newly single woman — tied the knot with rock star Gregg Allman, only to file for divorce from him just nine days later.
Those who found Cher’s rather speedy return to the altar alarming might have felt differently had they known how long marriage #1 had actually been over. By early 1973, Sonny and Cher were living together with their young daughter, Chastity, but also with their respective lovers. “The public still thinks we are married,” Sonny wrote in his diary at the time, “[and] that’s the way it has to be.” By the time her divorce was finalized, the 29-year-old Cher had been playing the field for nearly three years and had been sharing her Holmby Hills mansion with Gregg Allman for at least three months.
Gregg Allman became famous as the co-founder of the Allman Brothers Band, a group hailed on their induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as “the principal architects of Southern rock.” Following the death of his older brother Duane in a 1971 motorcycle accident, Gregg pursued a solo career that included the hit album Laid Back (1973), which was in current release when the 27-year-old rocker met Cher at the Troubadour club in Los Angeles.
Cher’s divorce became final on June 25, 1975, and five days later, reportedly on a whim, she and Allman boarded a Learjet from Los Angeles to Las Vegas, where they were married in a hotel suite belonging to Cher’s manager. Just 10 days after that, however, Cher filed for divorce from Allman amid rumors of his abandoning her to a drinking and drug binge during their honeymoon. In a statement released to the press, Cher said: “I’ve always believed it best to admit one’s mistakes as quickly as possible.”
In fact, Cher would reconsider her divorce filing and remain married to Allman until 1979. Billed as “Allman and Woman,” they would release a 1977 album called Two The Hard Way that is widely regarded as the worst of either artist’s respective career. They would also have a son, Elijah Blue Allman, who is now the leader of his own rock-and-roll band, Deadsy.
I’m a huge 50s, 60s 70s music fan!
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